ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Before her first official game leading the Lobo women’s basketball program, Head Coach Amy Eagan has been selected to the preseason watch list for the 2027 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats.
Eagan was one of 20 coaches named to the preseason watch list and the only coach from the Mountain West.
Prior to being hired at UNM, Eagan has built a track record of success at the mid-major level, leading Lindenwood out of the Ohio Valley Conference to a 25-8 season in 2025-26. The Lions tied for the OVC regular season championship last season and finished the season ranked in the top 100 in the NET, as well as 52nd in Division I in adjusted offensive efficiency, 11th in effective field goal percentage, 56th in turnover percentage, 20th in 2-point field goal percentage, and seventh in three-point field goal percentage.
Eagan won 20-plus games her last two seasons leading the Lions, transforming a team that won two games the year prior to her arrival to 23 wins two years later and in just Lindenwood’s third season as a Division I program.
ABOUT THE AWARD
This is the fourth season of the award, named after the legendary former Harvard head coach. Former Princeton head coach Carla Berube, now at Northwestern, was named the award's third winner in 2026. This year's watch list includes coaches from 12 conferences, including three from both the A-10 and the Pac-12.
The complete list in alphabetical order by school is:
Brady Sallee, Ball St.
Ryun Williams, Colorado St.
Megan Griffith, Columbia
Carly Thibault-DuDonis, Fairfield
Neil Harrow, Fordham
Vanessa Blair-Lewis, George Mason
Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
Carrie Moore, Harvard
Sean O'Regan, James Madison
Brooke Stoehr, Louisiana Tech
Tricia Binford, Montana St.
Rechelle Turner, Murray St.
Amy Eagan, New Mexico
Jory Collins, North Dakota St.
Lindsay Edmonds, Rice
Alisa Kresge, Richmond
Stacie Terry-Hutson, San Diego St.
Loree Payne, Santa Clara
Aaron Johnston, South Dakota St.
Kristy Curry, South Fla.
Eagan and the Lobos officially open the 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2 at 11 a.m. against Seattle. Tickets can be purchased at golobos.com/tickets.